[Infowarrior] - Army Activates First of its Kind Cyber Brigade

[Richard Forno]

(c/o jh)

Army Activates First of its Kind Cyber Brigade
http://www.military.com/news/article/army-news/army-activates-first-of-its-kind-cyber-bridage.html?comp=700001076338&rank=3
December 12, 2011
Army News Service by Tina Miles

FORT MEADE, Md. -- Network warfare, cyber security and the illegal
release and posting of classified information on the internet are all
hot topics in recent news headlines -- topics which the government,
and more importantly its military, take very serious.

The nature of that seriousness is evident with the Army's recent
activation of its first computer network operations brigade.

With an urgent insistence and tremendous help from the National
Security Agency, Department of Defense and U.S. Cyber Command, Army
and Congressional staff, the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security
Command created the 780th Military Intelligence Brigade to support
U.S. and Army Cyber Commands with their missions to provide a
proactive cyber defense.

In an event that marked the culmination of years of preparation, the
colors of the 780th MI Brigade were unfurled for the first time during
an activation ceremony at NSA's Friedman Auditorium, Fort Meade, Md.,
Dec. 1.

"While normally it is enough to gather in time-honored tradition to
pass unit colors to mark the transition of commanders and continuity
of mission, on really rare occasions like today we have the
opportunity to activate a new unit -- hand-picked, specifically
recruited and purpose built, which has and will continue to contribute
to a complex fight against those who present a clear and present
danger to our nation's security, while providing new and breathtaking
capabilities to our Army's already impressive portfolio of warfighting
capabilities," said Maj. Gen. Mary A. Legere, INSCOM commanding
general.

Though fully preoccupied with two wars in the Middle East, engaged in
other operations globally and confronted by resource constraints that
might have been an excuse for inaction, the Army empowered INSCOM to
once again build a unit in response to a specific threat -- providing
it with the mandate, mission and resources to form this brigade.

In December 2010, the Army approved the establishment of an Army Cyber
Brigade and designated the 780th MI Brigade to fulfill this mission
with an effective date of Oct. 1, 2011.

"'Never rely too heavily on intuition. It will never be a good
substitute for good intelligence.'" said Legere, quoting a phrase from
Gen. Omar Bradley. "It is his spirit, and in response to a sense of
foreboding, that our Army has had the wisdom to resource and create
the 780th."

The ceremony also marked the assumption of command for Col. Jonathan
E. Sweet, as he accepted the colors from Legere.

"Aug. 19th, 1942, Maj. Gen. Lee, commander of the newly formed 101st
Airborne Division, told his Soldiers assembled at Camp Claiborne, La.,
that 'the 101st has no history, but it has a rendezvous with
destiny,'" said Sweet. "These men were the infantry's
best-of-the-best. They were selected, trained and deployed to counter
an adversary that threatened our country during the Second World War."

Sweet compared his new brigade to a more seasoned one.

"Like the 101st, the 780th MI Brigade has no history, and was formed
to counter an adversary operating in a different domain -- a highly
technical, manmade domain called cyberspace," Sweet added.

While recognizing numerous individuals responsible for the creation of
the brigade, and those who assisted his career accomplishments, Sweet
said it is an honor to have the opportunity to return to Fort Meade
and join Command Sgt. Maj. Lawrence Hoke, 780th MI Brigade command
sergeant major, to activate, command, and operationalize this
incredibly special brigade.

"The first 26 miles of this marathon began in October 2002, with the
activation of Detachment Meade. Since then it's evolved and expanded
into the Army's Network Warfare Battalion, assembled a headquarters
company and staff, and today the 780th MI Brigade," said Sweet. "As we
cross this finish line and take a moment to enjoy the accomplishment,
we're reminded that it's merely a transition point, providing us
enough time to catch our breath and get ready to step out across the
start line for the next phase of what is actually a triathlon."

The brigade's 781st MI Battalion and Headquarters and Headquarters
Company, at Fort Meade, and the 782nd MI Battalion, located at Fort
Gordon, Ga., will collectively enable the unit's mission to conduct
signals intelligence, computer network operations, and when directed,
offensive operations, in support of DoD, Army and interagency
operations worldwide, while denying the same to its adversaries.

"This [activation] is a tribute to the belief in the notion that our
nation requires assured freedom of maneuver in cyberspace in this era
of persistent conflict and the advent of the increasingly more
sophisticated threats to our security," Legere added.

Legere added that the Army's newest brigade is fully prepared to
assist Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
and Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, chief of staff of the Army, as they forge
ahead in promoting cyber defense and full spectrum Cyber Ops as one of
their top priorities, and in helping Gen. Keith B. Alexander,
commander of USCYBERCOM and director of the NSA, as he continues to
educate, implore and challenge our nation's leadership to take
decisive action to develop and expand this kind of capability that is
now so critical to our nation's security.

"The challenge to our nation in this domain is upon us. You see this
every day. The future danger that you envisioned has arrived," said
Legere. "And the time for the men and women of the 780th to take your
place in the Army's long gray operational line as a fully resourced
operational unit ready for action is now."


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Just because i'm near the punchbowl doesn't mean I'm also drinking from it.